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Photo gallery: Southwest

Bennett Spring Campground

Bennett Spring

Palo Duro, Fortress Cliff Campground

On trail to…

…the Lighthouse…

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…and returning to camp

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Mesquite Campground

Rock Garden trail…

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Rt 66 in Grants

El Malpais Sandstone Bluffs…

…above younger McCartys lava flow…

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La Ventana Arch

Lava tubes in older El Calderon lava flow…

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Calderon Cinder Cone

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El Morro Campground

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El Morro

Impressive bluffs…

…with petroglyphs along the ground-level path…

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On top of the messa…

…ruins of impressive…

…Pueblo Atsinna…

…Kiwa

Boca Negra Canyon…

…Petroglyph NM…

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…Albuquerque

Rio De Las Vacas Campground

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…Horse Canyon Forest Rd

Chaco, Hungo Pavi

Hungo Pavi

Chetro Ketl (Great Kiva)

Chetro Ketl

Chetro Ketl

Claret Cup cactus

Puzzling beginning of trail to Pueblo Alto…

…but Joanna found the passage…

…and we were on the messa

Signs of past human activity…

…and fossils (shrimp burrows)…

…on top of sandstone slabs

Pueblo Alto

New Pueblo Alto

End of trail looks obvious, but aerial view of Pueblo Bonito is good from here

Petroglyph trail …

…petroglyphs

Pueblo Del Arroyo

Pueblo Del Arroyo

Pueblo Bonito (some excavated rooms destroyed by rock fall)

Pueblo Bonito

Pueblo Bonito

Casa Rinconada (Great Kiva)

Fajada Butte

Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness, Valley of Dreams

Three Wise Men area

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Three Wise Men

Pieces of petrified trees

Alien Throne area

Alien Throne

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Petrified tree trunk

Yucca

Ah-shi-sle-pah Trail

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Relaxing after dinner at De-na-zin camp

De-na-zin Wilderness, Yellow Hoodoo

View from the top…

…real maze…

…passages too narrow to squeeze through…

…so we walked arround to look at the same rocks from the bottom…

…exploring some small “canyons”…

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…and intriguing rock formations

Washes often serve as convenient approasch trails

Entering Bisti Wilderness…

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Bisti Arch

Valley of Bones

Petrified wood…

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…the largest specimen we saw

Petrified wood and mushrooms…

…mushrooms

Cracked Eggs…

…Egg hatchery

Dust storm intensifies as we are leaving the wilderness

Hovenweep towers…

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Butler wash ruins (under the arches)

Cave Towers

Hous on Fire

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Mule Canyon Roadside Kiva

View from Muley Point Camp…

…evening…

…and morning

Views from Muley Point…

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Moki Dugway

Cedar Mesa – Valley of the Gods, view from Moki Dugway

Valley of the Gods

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San Juan River in Mexican Hat

Monument Valley…

…views from Hwy 163

Navajo NM, view from our campsite…

…next morning on Aspen Trail…

…reconstructed hogan (dwelling)

Dinosaur footprint…

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…Betatakin Cliff Dwellings

Rt 221 to Shonto

Colorado River

Navajo Bridge and new bridge across Colorado River

Just entered Buckskin Gulch (looking upstream)

Signs left by earlier visitors (nice bighorn petroglyphs)

Heading down into Buckskin slot canyon

High walls and 90° turns…

Meandering…

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…with wider sections…

…and with GPS reading…

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…then narrow again…

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…narrower and darker…

…but sunny blue skye above…

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…last rock fall before the confluence (Joanna was happy not to have to climb down the steps)…

…camping just below the confluence of Buckskin Gulch and Paria River

Heading up Paria River from the confluence with Buckskin Gulch…

…to the Arch…

…and then down the river

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…side wall spring…

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…wading through…

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…collecting spring water…

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…lunch…

…more canyon walking…

…campsite…

…big rock overhang (arch) above our tent…

…and the way out for next day

Paria River

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Rusting pump from failed attempts to pump water from the river for farming on the mesa above

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Way to Big Spring

Crystal clear spring water dripping into muddy pool and filling our bottles quickly

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Shower Springs…

…and our camp on a sand bar across the river from the springs

Still a canyon…

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Spring flowers

…more signs of desert vegetation

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Walking on volcanic ash

Hard to find shaded lunch spot

But plenty of water around to soak-in/swim after lunch

Orange-pink dunes

Dry crossing

People came here, who knows when

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At times dust in the air turned into sand storm (almost)

Wilson Ranch

Locals at our campsite (did not go to sleep until after dark)

People tried to settle here under the dunes (we camped here)

Shortcuts cutting across meanders…

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Lonely Dell Ranch

Orchards at the ranch

Lees Ferry, Colorado River

Colorado River

Toadstool Hoodoos…

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Upper Paria River near Cottonwood Canyon Rd

…and we are heading into Hackberry Creek canyon…

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Camp at Cottonwood Creek (dry)

Cottonwood Canyon Rd

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Cottonwood Narrows

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Grosvenor Arch

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Cottonwood Canyon Rd, Grand Staircase-Escalante

Kodachrome Basin in the distance

Scenic byway on the way to Escalante (Hwy 12)…

…and towards Boulder..

…Escalante River…

…Calf Creek

Walked to the end of short…

…Singing Canyon

Long Canyon, Burr Trail Rd…

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View east from top end of Long Canyon

Capitol Reef NP

Lunch on top of Burr Trail Switchbacks…

The switchbacks down to…

…Notom-Bullfrog Rd

Hike to Headquarters Canyon

Entering Capitol Reef NP from west on Burr Trail Rd

View east from the top of Burr Trail Switchbacks through Waterpocket fold (Strike Valley and Notom Rd below)

Hiking towards Headquarters Canyon from Notom Rd trailhead (Capitol Reef NP)

Headquarters Canyon

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Capturing narrow and deep slot canyons on film is quite difficult – they are way more impressive in real life. Video clips do not work too well because of wide lighting range. We tried “vertical panos” (on the left) with some success. Having a person in the frame helps set the scale.

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Hiking back from Headquarters Canyon

Heading north on Notom Rd

Blacked-tailed jackrabbit

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Sandy Ranch and Henry Mountains in the distance

Desert flowers

Hoodoos near Notom Rd

Camping under Oyster Shell Reef

Driving to Horseshoe Canyon

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Driving through sand dunes

Horseshoe Canyon

Dinosaur track

Descending to the canyon

High Panel (the oldest pictoghraphs)

Horseshoe Panel

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Great Gallery

Great Gallery

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Alcove Panel

Alcove

Back at the rim

View from our campsite

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Green River from the campsite

Happy campers

Lower San Rafael Rd

San Rafael River

Island in the Sky, Green River Overlook

Upheaval Dome, the hole is either volcano or meteorite crater

Grand View Point…

…trail along the rim

Looking through Mesa Arch…

…and above it right…

…and left

Shafer Canyon Trail, old mining road

Heading to The Needles District next day

Pot Hole Trail

Big Spring Canyon…

…overlook

Slickrock Trail…

…to the end on rim above Colorado River Canyon (river out of sight here)

Ancient granary (Roadside Ruin)

Our camp at The Needles

On the way to Chesler Park…

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Looking back from the edge of Chesler Park plateau

…Chesler Park…

…meadow

…through slot canyons and narrow washes of Joint Trail…

…more needles…

…around in Chesler Park

…and we are heading back to Elephant Hill trailhead

Newspaper Rock

Treasure Falls CO

West Fork San Juan River valley CO

Back to the Rockies, near Buena Vista CO

Near Colorado Springs

Approaching Salina KS, sunset through otherwise overcast sky

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